Renowned chef Ludovic "Chef Ludo" Lefebvre and his wife, Krissy, will be bringing their touring pop-up restaurant LudoBites to Hawaii, specifically to Hualalai Grille at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Hawaii island, in March.
LudoBites Hawaii Nine-0, in reference to his ninth such pop-up (but his first in Hawaii), will unfurl from March 6 through 17.
"I am looking forward to working in such a beautiful setting with really amazing local ingredients," Lefebvre said in a statement.
Lefebvre will prepare a diverse menu of small plates and specialty cocktails for guests of the temporary restaurant.
Lefebvre will use as many local ingredients as possible, as does the resort.
About 75 percent of the food served at the hotel’s restaurants "comes from Hawaii island because we’re really trying to do what we can to provide great food-and-beverage experiences," said Brad Packer, director of public relations.
Lefebvre will work with some members of the Four Seasons’ culinary team, with whom he’ll do training, tastings and familiarization with the food and cocktails menus.
The Lefebvres were part of a food event at the resort in October when planning for the pop-up began, Packer said. Hualalai is working to position itself as "a foodie destination," so attracting Lefebvre is "a great fit."
This will be the Lefebvres’ first extended stay outside Los Angeles, and "we’re excited about it," he said, noting the chef’s "cult following."
A four-night LudoBites package offered by the resort March 6-18 starts at $4,620. Nightly hotel rates begin at $775, but diners need not be hotel guests to get a LudoBites reservation.
LudoBites Hawaii Nine-0 will be able to accommodate about 100 diners per night, or about 1,000 people over the 10-night event for which reservations are being taken.
Chef Ludo is reputed to have a hot temper in the kitchen, as can be seen on his TV show "Ludo Bites America" on cable’s Sundance Channel.
Whether the Lefebvres will have a TV production crew with them in Hawaii has not yet been firmed up, Packer said.
Both the chef and his wife are active on Twitter, the online social network. He is @ChefLudo, and Krissy, known as @FrenchChefWife, began handling local and mainland inquiries about the event when the news was posted.
Local foodies on Twitter say they hope they would be able to get reservations, but bemoaned the cost of staying at the resort. Diners need not be hotel guests, she told them.
The Hawaii LudoBites fare will be "Island Style," Krissy tweeted, noting in another tweet that the Hualalai resort has been ranked the "best lux beachside hotel in (the) U.S.," citing the BeachManiac blog.
Lefebvre’s website says he is the only chef in Los Angeles to receive five stars from the Mobil Travel Guide at two different restaurants (L’Orangerie in 1999 and Bastide in 2006). Though in his mid-30s, Lefebvre has been named one of the "World’s 50 Greatest Chefs" by hotel and restaurant group Relais & Chateaux, and he was nominated for a James Beard Foundation "Rising Star Chef" award.
Couch potato foodies might remember seeing him on "Top Chef Masters" on Bravo, "Iron Chef America" on Food Network and on NBC’s "Today Show."
On the Net:
» www.ludolefebvre.com/ludobites
» www.sundance-channel.com/ludo-bites-america
» www.fourseasons.com/hualalai
Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
